Feds pick the YMCA Riverfront site for its federal courthouse

Federal officials announced in July that they intend to build a $137 million courthouse at the former Riverfront YMCA site in downtown Des Moines. Learn more about the timeline of events for the controversial location.
Aaron Young/The Register

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Site of the former Downtown Des Moines YMCA building Monday, July 10, 2017.
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The federal government said Tuesday it intends to build a new courthouse at the former site of the downtown Des Moines Riverfront YMCA.

A final assessment identifies 101 Locust St. as the preferred site for a $137 million 230,000-square-foot federal courthouse. Hubbell Realty Co. owns the site and released plans Monday for a $75 million luxury condominium development there.

Hubbell Realty Co. has released updated plans for a $75 million, 115-unit condominium project at the former Riverfront YMCA site.(Photo: Special to the Register)

According to a news release, the General Services Administration has worked with city officials to address concerns about access to the riverfront. The courthouse will "complement the character and context of the surrounding structures and amenities, interact with the Principal Riverwalk in a way that facilitates pedestrian activities and outdoor recreation, and include publicly-accessible space," the news release says.

GSA initially chose the former YMCA property for the courthouse project last July, but the city stepped in because it wanted a landmark development for the site that would generate tax revenue and promote pedestrian activity to the river. Des Moines made a deal with Hubbell to make plans to develop the site by the end of this month.

The government will need to purchase the land from Hubbell, which purchased it for $4.77 million in 2016, or acquire it through eminent domain.

GSA will now go through the design process, with construction scheduled to start in fall 2019. The courthouse would open in 2022.